This invention relates to interactive television program guide systems, and more particularly, to program guide systems that allow television service providers such as cable operators to provide showcases for various types of program offerings.
Cable, satellite, and broadcast television systems provide viewers with a large number of television channels. Viewers have traditionally consulted printed television program schedules to determine the programs being broadcast at a particular time. More recently, interactive electronic television program guides have been developed that allow television program information to be displayed on a viewer's television.
Interactive program guides are typically implemented on set-top boxes. Such program guides allow users to view television program listings in different display formats. For example, a user may instruct the program guide to display a grid of program listings organized in a channel-ordered or a time-ordered list. Users may also search and sort program listing by theme (e.g., movies, sports, etc.) or by title (i.e., alphabetically). A user may view additional information on a program by placing a highlight region on a desired program listing and pressing an “info” button. The user may purchase a pay program from the program guide by placing the highlight region on a program listing and pressing an “OK” button.
Although a user is often able to find information on a program of interest by searching for the program with the tools available in the program guide (e.g., by searching for listings in a particular category), this process requires that the user take an active role in locating the information. If a user desires a more passive experience, the user may not venture beyond the display screens in the program guide that present simple time-ordered lists of program information. As a result, the user may not be made aware of many of the cable system operator's offerings.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an interactive television program guide that enhances the ability of a service provider to supply users with information on the programming available from the service provider.